My Name Is Chloe (Diary of a Teenage Girl Series: Cloe #1) Book

I hate to say this, but I actively disliked this book. If I wasn't reading it for a class, I would have put it down after the first page. I was really trying to keep an open mind since I don't read much Christian/Inspirational fiction, but I just couldn't ignore the poor quality of writing. The dialog felt soooo forced and stiff and…unnatural. And I really didn't buy Chloe's narrative voice. It felt too much like an author trying to fit certain themes into a character's mouth rather than the words/situations arising naturally from the character.

Like, as an example, Chloe is joking with her parents about how the look of her band is not mainstream enough to attract a certain kind of fan, i.e. older people. Her dad responds by joking, "Hey, who you calling old?" And then what does Chloe do? "I patted him on the back. 'No offense, Dad, but you guys are my parents. You're supposed to be a little out of the loop. That's how we play the game, right?'" (193). That's how you play what game? What are you talking about?! Argh! This book is just full of little phrases like this that come off as odd and totally unnatural. Ugh, it bugged me so much.

I actually didn't mind the religious theme that much. I mean, Carlson does make an attempt at a sort of acceptance of differences since Chloe's band consists of her in her grunge-rock look; Laura, an African American "preppy" girl; and Allie, a Wiccan from a poor family. But then, oh wait, they all become Christians. So never mind, I guess they're not all that different after all.

It just bothers me in the Christian fiction that I've read (which I'll admit is very little and possibly not the best example of the genre) that after a character "gives her heart to Jesus," as Chloe does, she immediately starts praying for everyone she knows so that they too will see the truth and become Christians. Conversion becomes a central theme, and as a non-Christian reader it comes across a bit preachy and pushy. And it was also a little unbelievable that Chloe's "rebirth" immediately flipped a switch and made her completely happy and totally different in her approach to life. Carlson goes out of her way to show that Chloe still has problems in her life even though she's Christian. But apparently she was seriously depressed, like suicidal, self-destructive depressed before her "rebirth," and the day afterwards she's immensely happy and back to normal. I just don't know how realistic that is.